Here are some quick and easy ways to reduce single-use plastic items from our daily practices, only takes a teeny bit of extra planning, but makes a big difference to Papatūānuku!
Three places we could all reduce our plastic waste; supermarket shopping, buying bathroom products (toothbrushes, razors etc), and food and drinks on-the-go (coffee, bottled water, and takeaways).
You could even take it a step further and brainstorm ways to minimise plastic use in your centre at a staff meeting. You could talk about how best to get everyone, including parents and children, involved and engaged in reducing plastic waste, make it specific to your centre or classroom so that it makes sense to how you do things. Might take a little bit of time to get used to as it’s a mindset shift, but once you do it you’ll be glad you did!
- Teach little ones the importance of recycling and reusing items.
- Use eco-friendly glitter and other eco-friendly craft items, ask for these at your local craft store – if they’re not available ask and see if they can get them in stock.
- Encourage parents to bring wet bags on wet days & during the summer months.
- BYO shopping bags everywhere you go.
- Take your own coffee cup to the coffee shop.
- Choose cardboard over plastic – its easier to recycle.
- Say no to plastic straws.
- BYO water bottle instead of buying bottled water.
- Skip the disposable razors and toothbrushes.
- Skip face washes that have “polypropylene” or “polyethylene” on the ingredients list, these are microplastics that end up in the ocean.
- Ditch plastic packaged produce at the supermarket.
- Opt for glass jars or containers, you can use more than once, instead of plastic wrap.
